Toy Figure with Articulating Limbs and Body

ABSTRACT

A posable toy figure having a body, a head, and limbs that are held together by at least one elastic cord. The limbs are comprised of multiple limb pieces that are also held together by the elastic cords. Each limb has multiple flat contact surfaces. Each limb is biased against the body at an abutment joint. Each limb is selectively moveable about the abutment joint into one of a few stable orientations relative the body. In each of the different stable orientations, a different one of the flat contact surfaces of a limb abuts against the body. Limb pieces create secondary abutment joints that enable the limbs to be configured into different stable poses. This provides the toy figure with a large, yet limited, number of posable configurations. The various posable configurations are readily indexed and can be easily repeated.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention claims priority of Chinese patent application No. 201520030232.1, filed Jan. 16, 2015.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

In general, the present invention relates to toy figures that have articulating body parts that can be selectively posed by a user. More particularly, the present invention relates to toy figures that have body parts that are held together by elastic elements that pass through the body parts and bias the body parts together.

2. Prior Art Description

There exist many toy figures that have articulating limbs, heads, and other body parts. This enables the toy figure to be posed into a variety of different positions. Toy figures that can articulate typically require the presence of joints on the legs, neck, and body that can move. Over the years many joint configurations for dolls and other toy figures have been developed. Toy joint configurations generally have two problem areas. Either they are complex joints that are difficult and expensive to manufacture, or they are simple joints that provide a limited range of movement.

One of the most successful joint configurations for a toy figure is a compromise between complexity and range of motion. For over a century, toy figures have been manufactured with simple ball and socket joints between various body parts. However, the ball and socket do not mechanically interconnect. Rather, the various body parts are held together by internal elastic cords that extend through the limbs and the body of the toy figure. The elastic cords bias the various body parts toward one another. As such, the ball and socket joints are in tension with the ball being biased into the socket. Popular toys, like the original G.I. Joe® action figures, were made in such a manner throughout the 1960's and 1970's. Early examples of such joint construction in a toy figure can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,091,944 to Meier, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,896 to Herzog.

Although toy figures with internal elastic cords have been successful, they do have certain limitations. The tension provided by the internal elastic cords bias the joints together. However, the tension provided by the elastic cords also tends to bias the limbs into a straight alignment. Thus, although a limb can be manually manipulated into various poses, the limbs tend to return to a straight configuration once left on their own.

In many toys, unfettered movement of the limbs is preferred. This is especially true with toy figures whose play value is tied to their ability to be posed. Many such posable toy figures have suction cups or magnets on their limbs so they can be wildly posed on a window or other flat surface. Such prior art figures are exemplifies by U.S. Pat. No. 2,219,130 to Herrman and U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,041 to Sweet. In such posable toys, the ability to pose the toy is so important that flexible limbs are used in place of rigid limbs with joints. The flexible limbs are made from coil springs, elastomeric material, or some other structure that can be readily manipulated into a nearly infinite number of different configurations.

Although the ability to configure the limb of a toy into an infinite number of positions may seem useful in a posable toy, this is not always the case. Many smart phones sold today can run video production software that makes it easy to create a stop action video from a series of photographs. In order to create a stop action video, a person needs to pose a figure into a number of repeatable stable positions. If a toy has flexible limbs, it is very difficult to move the limbs incrementally. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to return a limb to the exact same position it once occupied in a previous picture. As a result, the production of stop action scenes becomes labor intensive and unappealing to a person who may want to use only a smart phone application to produce a short stop action scene.

The Applicant has developed a toy figure that is very easy to move incrementally and to return the figure to previous poses. The improved toy figure has a configuration that makes it stable in a large, yet limited, number of poses. The result is a toy character that is extremely well suited for use in creating stop action video sequences. The improved toy figure is described and claimed below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a posable toy figure. The toy figure has a body, a head, and limbs that are held together by at least one elastic cord that extends through the body to the limbs and head. The limbs are comprised of multiple limb pieces that are also held together by the tension of the elastic cords in the limbs.

Each limb has multiple flat contact surfaces thereon. Each limb is biased against the body at an abutment joint. Each limb is selectively moveable about the abutment joint into one of a few stable orientations relative the body. In each of the different stable orientations, a different one of the flat contact surfaces of a limb abuts against the body and is biased against the body by an elastic cord.

The limbs may further be comprised of smaller limb parts that are also biased together by the elastic cords. The limb pieces create secondary abutment joints that enable the limbs to be configured into different stable poses. This provides the toy figure with a large, yet limited, number of posable configurations. The various posable configurations are readily indexed and can be easily repeated. As such, the toy figure is very well suited for making stop action animation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a toy figure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the toy figure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an abutment joint used throughout the embodiment of the toy figure;

FIG. 4 is a fragmented view of the body and head of the toy figure shown in an alternate stable configuration;

FIG. 5 is a fragmented view of an abutment joint where an arm limb is joined to the body, wherein the abutment joint is in a first stable configuration;

FIG. 6 is a fragmented view of an abutment joint where an arm limb is joined to the body, wherein the abutment joint is in a second stable configuration;

FIG. 7 is a fragmented view of an abutment joint where an arm limb is joined to the body, wherein the abutment joint is in a third stable configuration;

FIG. 8 is a fragmented view of an arm limb having a central abutment joint in a first stable configuration;

FIG. 9 is a fragmented view of an arm limb having a central abutment joint in a second stable configuration;

FIG. 10 is a fragmented view of an abutment joint where a leg limb is joined to the body, wherein the abutment joint is in a first stable configuration;

FIG. 11 is a fragmented view of an abutment joint where a leg limb is joined to the body, wherein the abutment joint is in a second stable configuration;

FIG. 12 is a fragmented view of an abutment joint where a leg limb is joined to the body, wherein the abutment joint is in a third stable configuration;

FIG. 13 is a fragmented view of a leg limb having a central abutment joint in a first stable configuration; and

FIG. 14 is a fragmented view of a leg limb having a central abutment joint in a second stable configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the present invention toy figure can be embodied in many ways, the embodiment illustrated shows the toy figure configured as a humanoid robot. This embodiment sets forth one of the best modes contemplated for the invention and its simplicity is useful for the purposes of description and explanation. The illustrated embodiment, however, is merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the claims. Alternate embodiments, configured into other figure shapes, are intended to be included in the protection provided by the claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, in conjunction with FIG. 2, a toy FIG. 10 is shown. The toy FIG. 10 has a body 12, a head 14, and limbs 16 that can be articulated through a wide range of posed positions. The body 12, head 14, and limbs 16 are interconnected by three elastic cords, which are the arm cord 17, the body cord 18, and the leg cord 19.

The three elastic cords 17, 18, 19 bias all the parts of the toy FIG. 10 together. Where any two parts abut, an abutment joint is created. As will be explained below in more detail, the toy FIG. 10 contains at least ten abutment joints. Referring to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG. 2, the structure of an exemplary abutment joint 11 is explained. At the abutment joint 11, there are two pieces 13, 15 of the toy FIG. 10 that are biased together by one of the elastic cords 17, 18, 19. The first piece 13 has a flat surface 21. The elastic cord enters into the first piece 13 through the center of the flat surface 21. The second piece 15 also has a flat top surface 23. The flat top surface 23 extends from a front surface 25 to a rear surface 27, where the front surface 25 and the rear surface 27 are generally perpendicular to the flat top surface 23. A cord groove 29 is formed in the flat top surface 23. The cord groove 29 extends from the front surface 25 to the rear surface 27. The cord groove 29 is at least as deep and as wide as the diameter of the elastic cords 17, 18, 19.

The elastic cord enters the second piece through a hole in the center of the cord groove 29. The presence of the cord groove 29 provides the abutment joint 11 with three stable configurations. In the first stable configuration, the flat surface 21 of the first piece 13 can be abutted against the flat top surface 23 of the second piece 15. In this configuration, the elastic cord remains straight. Although in abutment, both the first piece 13 and the second piece 15 are free to rotate about the axis of the elastic cord.

In the second stable configuration, the flat surface 21 of the first piece 13 can be brought into abutment with the front surface 25 of the second piece 15. In this configuration, the elastic cord bends 90 degrees and travels through the cord groove 29 to the front surface 25. In this second stable configuration, the first piece 13 is still free to rotate about the elastic cord.

In the third stable configuration, the flat surface 21 of the first piece 13 can be brought into abutment with the rear surface 27 of the second piece 15. In this configuration, the elastic cord bends 90 degrees and travels through the cord groove 29 to the rear surface 27. In this third stable configuration, the first piece 13 is still free to rotate about the elastic cord.

In all three configurations, the two pieces 13, 15 are biased together in a stable configuration by one of the elastic cords. Any attempt to abut the pieces 13, 15 together in a different configuration would lead to an unstable condition that would inevitably revert back to one of the three stable configurations.

Returning to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it can be seen that the body 12 of the toy FIG. 10 is comprised of two interconnected pieces. Those pieces are a torso piece 20 and a pelvis piece 22. The torso piece 20 and the pelvis piece 22 are joined at an abutment joint 31. The abutment joint 31 has the same characteristics as the exemplary abutment joint described in FIG. 3. The torso piece 20 is generally rectangular in shape. The torso piece 20 has a flat top surface 24, a flat bottom surface 26, a flat front surface 28, a flat back surface 30, and two flat side surfaces 32. A first cord groove 34 is formed into the top surface 24 of the torso piece 20. The first cord groove 34 extends across the top surface 24 from the front surface 28 to the back surface 30. The first cord groove 34 is both wider and deeper than the diameter of the body cord 18. Likewise, a second cord groove 35 is formed into the bottom surface 26 of the torso piece 20. The second cord groove 35 extends across the bottom surface 26 from the front surface 28 to the back surface 30. The second cord groove 35 is both wider and deeper than the diameter of the body cord 18.

The pelvis piece 22 has a flat top surface 36, a flat bottom surface 38, a front surface 40, and a rear surface 42. The front surface 40 and the rear surface 42 of the pelvis piece 22 are T-shaped, having a wide section 44 and a narrow section 46. This provides the pelvis piece 22 with stepped side surfaces 48, wherein a ledge 50 is formed on each of the stepped side surfaces 48 at the transition between the wide section 44 and the narrow section 46.

The head 14 has a flat bottom surface 52. The head 14, torso piece 20, and pelvis piece 22 are interconnected by the body cord 18. The body cord 18 has a first end anchored to the pelvis piece 22. The body cord 18 extends through the torso piece 20 and has a second end anchored inside the head 14. The body cord 18 is elastic and is in tension. As such, the body cord 18 biases the head 14 and pelvis piece 22 against the torso piece 20.

The head 14 abuts against the torso piece 20 at an abutment joint 51. The abutment joint 51 has the same characteristics as the exemplary abutment joint described in FIG. 3. Normally, the tension in the body cord 18 biases the flat bottom surface 52 of the head 14 against the flat top surface 24 of the torso piece 20. The head 14 is free to spin 360 degrees while in this contact position due to the pliability of the body cord 18. Likewise, the top surface 36 of the pelvis piece 22 is normally biased against the flat bottom surface 26 of the torso piece 20. The pelvis piece 22 is also free to spin 360 degrees while in this contact position due to the pliability of the body cord 18.

Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it can be seen that the abutment joint 51 enables the head 14 to be selectively moved into contact with the front surface 28 of the torso piece 20, as is shown, or into contact with the back surface 30 of the torso piece 20. In such positions, the body cord 18 passes into the first cord groove 34 at the top of the torso piece 20 and continues to bias the head 14 against either the front surface 28 or back surface 30 of the torso piece 20. Likewise, the abutment joint 31 between the torso piece 20 and the pelvis piece 22 enables the pelvis piece 22 to be selectively moved into contact with the front surface 28 of the torso piece 20, or into contact with the back surface 30 of the torso piece 20, as is shown. In such positions, the body cord 18 passes into the second cord groove 35 at the bottom of the torso piece 20 and continues to bias the pelvis piece 22 against either the front surface 28 or the back surface 30 of the torso piece 20.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, it can be seen that the limbs 16 of the toy FIG. 10 include arm limbs 54. The arm limbs 54 contain three pieces, which are a shoulder piece 56, a forearm piece 58, and a hand termination 60. The arm limbs 54 are joined together and are biased against the torso piece 20 by the arm cord 17. The arm cord 17 has a first end that is anchored in the forearm piece 58 of one arm limb 54 and a second end that is anchored in the forearm piece 58 of the opposite arm limb 54. The arm cord 17 extends through the shoulder pieces 56 and torso piece 20 to bias all the pieces together in tension. This creates an abutment joint 61 between the shoulder piece 56 and the torso piece 20. It also creates an abutment joint 75 between the shoulder piece 56 and the forearm piece 58. Both abutment joints 61, 75 operate in the same manner as the exemplary abutment joint of FIG. 3, with the exception that the abutment joint 61 between the shoulder piece 56 and the torso piece 20 contains a beveled surface 72.

The shoulder piece 56 has a flat top surface 62, a flat bottom surface 64, a flat front surface 66, and a flat rear surface 68. The side surfaces 70 are flat. The corner between the top surface 62 and the front surface 66 is beveled. This creates a flat beveled surface 72 that is angled with respect to both the top surface 62 and the front surface 66. A cord groove 74 is formed in the top surface 62 of the shoulder piece 56. The cord groove 74 extends from the front surface 66 to the rear surface 68 and is deeper and wider than the diameter of the arm cord 17.

The shoulder piece 56 is biased against the side surface 32 of the torso piece 20 by the arm cord 17. The shoulder piece 56 can be oriented in different manners so that different surfaces of the shoulder piece 56 abut against the torso piece 20. In FIG. 5, the shoulder piece 56 is oriented so that the top surface 62 abuts against the torso piece 20. In FIG. 6, the beveled surface 72 abuts against the torso piece 20. In FIG. 7, the side surface 70 of the shoulder piece 56 abuts against the torso piece 20. In the posed positions of FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the shoulder piece 56 is free to rotate 360 degrees around the arm cord 17.

The arm cord 17 extends through the shoulder piece 56 and biases the forearm piece 58 to the shoulder piece 56 at an abutment joint 75. The forearm piece 58 has a flat top surface 76, a flat front surface 78, and a flat rear surface 80. A cord groove 82 is formed in the flat top surface 76 that extends from the front surface 78 to the rear surface 80. Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, it can be seen that the forearm piece 58 can be linearly aligned with the shoulder piece 56 by abutting the flat top surface 76 of the forearm piece 58 against the bottom surface 64 of the shoulder piece 56. Alternatively, the forearm piece 58 can be turned 90 degrees so that the front surface 78 or the rear surface 80 of the forearm piece 58 abuts against the bottom surface 64 of the shoulder piece 56. It will be understood that in the configuration of either FIG. 8 or FIG. 9, the forearm piece 58 is free to rotate 360 degrees around the arm cord 17 relative the shoulder piece 56.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, it can be seen that the limbs 16 of the toy FIG. 10 include leg limbs 84. The leg limbs 84 contain three parts, which are a thigh piece 86, a calf piece 88, and a foot termination 90. The thigh piece 86 is biased against the pelvis piece 22 with an abutment joint 91. Likewise, the thigh piece 86 and the calf piece 88 are biased against each other at another abutment joint 101. Both abutment joints 91, 101 function in the manner of the exemplary abutment joint of FIG. 3.

The leg limbs 84 are joined together and are biased against the pelvis piece 22 by the leg cord 19. The leg cord 19 has a first end that is anchored in the calf piece 88 of one leg limb 84 and a second end that is anchored in the calf piece 88 of the opposite leg limb 84. The leg cord 19 extends through the thigh pieces 86 and pelvis piece 22 to bias all the pieces together in tension.

The thigh piece 86 has a flat top surface 92, a flat bottom surface 94, a flat front surface 96, and a flat rear surface 98. The thigh piece 86 has side surfaces 99 that are flat. One corner near the top surface 92 is beveled. This creates a flat beveled surface 100 that is angled. A cord groove 102 is formed in the top surface 92 of the thigh piece 86. The cord groove 102 extends from the front surface 96 to the rear surface 98 and is deeper and wider than the diameter of the leg cord 19.

The thigh piece 86 is biased against the narrow section 46 of the pelvis piece 22 by the leg cord 19. The thigh piece 86 can be oriented in different poses so that different surfaces of the thigh piece 86 abut against the pelvis piece 22. In FIG. 10, the thigh piece 86 is oriented so that its top surface 92 abuts against the pelvis piece 22. In FIG. 12, the beveled surface 100 abuts against the pelvis piece 22. In FIG. 11, the rear surface 98 of the thigh piece 86 abuts against the pelvis piece 22, where it conforms to the ledge 50 in the stepped side surface 48 of the pelvis piece 22. In all the configurations of FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. 12, the thigh piece 86 is free to rotate 360 degrees around the leg cord 19.

The leg cord 19 extends through the thigh piece 86 and biases the calf piece 88 to the thigh piece 86. The calf piece 88 has a flat top surface 104, a flat front surface 106, and a flat rear surface 108. A cord groove 110 is formed in the flat top surface 104 that extends from the front surface 106 to the rear surface 108. Referring to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, it can be seen that the calf piece 88 can be linearly aligned with the thigh piece 86 by abutting the flat top surface 104 of the calf piece 88 against the bottom surface 94 of the thigh piece 86. Alternatively, the calf piece 88 can be turned 90 degrees so that the front surface 106 or the rear surface 108 of the calf piece 88 abuts against the bottom surface 94 of the thigh piece 86. It will be understood that in the configuration of either FIG. 13 or FIG. 14, the calf piece 88 is free to rotate 360 degrees around the leg cord 19 relative the thigh piece 86.

In the earlier figures, the foot termination 90 on the leg limbs 84 and the hand terminations 60 on the arm limbs 54 are shown as suction cups. This enables the foot terminations 90 and the hand terminations 60 to attach to smooth objects, such as glass and flat countertops. The attachment is important because it prevents the toy figure from toppling when manipulated into unbalanced poses. This occurs often when making a stop action video. Alternate hand terminations, such as magnets or pads of tacky gel can be used. This would enable the toy FIG. 10 to stick to metal or to other objects, such as walls.

With reference to all previous figures, it will be understood that the toy FIG. 10 has a body 12, a head 14, and limbs 16. The body 12 and limbs 16 are made from smaller parts. The head and all the other parts of the toy FIG. 10 are held together with elastic cords that pass through, or into, the various parts. Wherever two parts are biased together by an elastic cord, an abutment joint is formed. At each abutment joint, three distinct stable configurations can be created between the abutting parts. However, the parts are free to rotate relative each other in all three stable configurations. This provides the toy FIG. 10 with a large, yet limited, number of posable configurations. The various posable configurations are readily indexed and can be easily repeated. As such, the toy FIG. 10 is very well suited for making stop action animation.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the present invention that is illustrated and described is merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to that embodiment. For instance, the toy figure can be configured as an animal, a doll or some other character other than the humanoid robot illustrated. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A posable toy figure, comprising: a body; an elastic cord that extends though said body; a limb having multiple flat contact surfaces thereon, said limb being biased against said body with said elastic cord at an abutment joint, wherein said limb is selectively moveable about said abutment joint into different orientations relative said body, wherein in each of said different orientations a different one of said flat contact surfaces abuts against said body at said abutment joint.
 2. The toy figure according to claim 1, wherein said limb is free to rotate about said elastic cord at said abutment joint.
 3. The toy figure according to claim 1, wherein said body has a flat surface that abuts against one of said flat contact surfaces of said limb at said abutment joint.
 4. The toy figure according to claim 1, wherein a cord groove is formed across one of said flat contact surfaces, wherein said groove is sized to receive a segment of said elastic cord therein.
 5. The toy figure according to claim 1, wherein said limb includes multiple limb pieces that are biased together by said elastic cord.
 6. The toy figure according to claim 5, wherein said limb contains a second abutment joint interposed between said multiple limb pieces.
 7. The toy figure according to claim 1, wherein said limb terminates with a connector, wherein said connector is selected from a group consisting of a suction cup, a magnet, and a pad of tacky gel.
 8. The toy figure according to claim 1, wherein said body has a front surface, a rear surface and a top surface that extends between said front surface and said rear surface, wherein said toy figure further includes a head that is coupled to said body with a second elastic cord.
 9. The toy figure according to claim 8, wherein said head can be selectively positioned into abutment with said front surface, said top surface or said rear surface of said body, wherein said second elastic cord maintains said abutment.
 10. A toy figure comprising: a body; an elastic cord that extends through said body; a plurality of limbs, wherein each of said limbs includes limb pieces that are biased together at abutment joints by said elastic cord, wherein one of said limb pieces at each of said abutment joints contains a contact surface that is traversed by a cord groove into which said elastic cord passes.
 11. The toy figure according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said limb pieces is free to rotate about said elastic cord at each of said abutment joints.
 12. The toy figure according to claim 10, wherein said body has flat surfaces thereon, wherein each of said limbs is biased against one of said flat surfaces by said elastic cord.
 13. The toy figure according to claim 10, wherein each of said limbs terminates with a connector, wherein said connector is selected from a group consisting of a suction cup, a magnet, and a pad of tacky gel.
 14. The toy figure according to claim 10, wherein said body has a front surface, a rear surface and a top surface that extends between said front surface and said rear surface, wherein said toy figure further includes a head that is coupled to said body with a second elastic cord.
 15. The toy figure according to claim 14, wherein said head can be selectively positioned into abutment with said front surface, said top surface or said rear surface of said body, wherein said second elastic cord maintains said abutment.
 16. A toy figure, comprising: a body; a head; a plurality of limbs, wherein each of said plurality of limbs is made from abutting limb parts, and wherein each of said plurality of limbs terminates with a suction cup termination; elastic cords that extend through said body and bias said head and said plurality of limbs to said body at abutment joints.
 17. The toy figure according to claim 16, wherein each of said abutment joints contains a contact surface that is traversed by a cord groove into which one of said elastic cords passes.
 18. The toy figure according to claim 16, wherein each of said plurality of limbs is free to rotate about one of said elastic cords at each of said abutment joints.
 19. The toy figure according to claim 16, wherein said body has flat surfaces thereon, wherein each of said plurality of limbs is biased against one of said flat surfaces by one of said elastic cords.
 20. The toy figure according to claim 16, wherein each of said limbs terminates with a connector, wherein said connector is selected from a group consisting of a suction cup, a magnet, and a pad of tacky gel. 